1 D o you indeed speak righteousness, you silent ones? Do you judge uprightly, you sons of men?

To the Overseer. -- `Destroy not.' -- A secret treasure, by David. Is it true, O dumb one, righteously ye speak? Uprightly ye judge, O sons of men?

2 N o, in heart you work wickedness; You weigh out the violence of your hands in the earth.

Even in heart ye work iniquities, In the land the violence of your hands ye ponder.

3 T he wicked are estranged from the womb; They go astray as soon as they are born, speaking lies.

The wicked have been estranged from the womb, They have erred from the belly, speaking lies.

4 T heir poison is like the poison of a serpent; They are like the deaf cobra that stops its ear,

Their poison as poison of a serpent, As a deaf asp shutting its ear,

5 W hich will not heed the voice of charmers, Charming ever so skillfully.

Which hearkeneth not to the voice of whisperers, A charmer of charms most skilful.

6 B reak their teeth in their mouth, O God! Break out the fangs of the young lions, O Lord!

O God, break their teeth in their mouth, The jaw-teeth of young lions break down, O Jehovah.

7 L et them flow away as waters which run continually; When he bends his bow, Let his arrows be as if cut in pieces.

They are melted as waters, They go up and down for themselves, His arrow proceedeth as they cut themselves off.

8 L et them be like a snail which melts away as it goes, Like a stillborn child of a woman, that they may not see the sun.

As a snail that melteth he goeth on, an untimely birth of a woman, They have not seen the sun.

9 B efore your pots can feel the burning thorns, He shall take them away as with a whirlwind, As in His living and burning wrath.

Before your pots discern the bramble, As well the raw as the heated He whirleth away.

10 T he righteous shall rejoice when he sees the vengeance; He shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked,

The righteous rejoiceth that he hath seen vengeance, His steps he washeth in the blood of the wicked.

11 S o that men will say, “Surely there is a reward for the righteous; Surely He is God who judges in the earth.”

And man saith: `Surely fruit for the righteous: Surely there is a God judging in the earth!'